Doffing device for use in spinning, twisting, doubling and like textile machines



B. L. FISHEIR DOFFING DEVICE FOR USE IN SPINNING, TWISTING, no

3,1 1 7,408 UBLING Jan. 14, 1964 AND LIKE TEXTILE MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 5, 1961 INVENTOR BRYAN LAWRENCE PIS/ BK A TTORNE);

B. L. FISHER Jan. 14, 1964 v 3,117,408 DOFFING DEVICE FOR USE IN SPINNING, TWISTING, DOUBLING AND LIKE TEXTILE MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 5, 1961 5 MH Wc N E R .W A L M w. R DO A TTORNE 4 United States Patent BGFFING DEVICE FOR USE IN SPINNING, TWISTING, DIPUBLING AND LIKE TEXTILE MACHINES Bryan L. Fisher, 23 Grandstand Road, Gutwood, Wakefield, England, assignor to Feim William Arthy Eeriven Filed .Iuiy 5, 19-51, Ser. No. 121,981 (Ziaims priority, appiication Great Britain .l'nly 6, Ifiii d Ciairns. (El. 57-52) This invention relates to a device for use in dotfing fuil cops from the spindles of spinning, twisting, doubling and like cop filling textile machines. Various arrangements have been proposed for doffing a number of spindles simultaneously, these arrangements including manually operable mechanisms and automatic mechanisms.

These arrangements incorporate some kind of lifter device which is capable of gripping the cop and lifting it off the spindle. A disadvantage of such a device is that they are apt to damage the yarn, especially when the yarn is delicate. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a lifting device which will not damage the yarn.

Accordng to this invention a doffing device for use in a spinning, twisting, doubling or like textile machine includes a lifter member which is displaceable relatively to the axis of the machine spindle with which it is associated, and resiliently loaded so that it can pass in contact with a full cop in one direction parallel with the spindle axis, but will engage and move the cop in the opposite direction.

One construction of a doiling device in accordance with the invention for use on a ring spinning machine will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic end view of a dotting and donning unit,

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a single full cop on the spinning machine, with the doifing device part way through its doffing motion,

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view showing the dofling device in a position to raise the full cop otf its spindle, and

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a flap mounting.

The dofiing and donning unit illustrated in FIGURE 1 forms part of an automatic device which is fully described in the specification of application No. 121,983 (Dilworth et al.) filed of even date with the present application, and now abandoned, and is only described here to explain the environment of the dor'iing device illustrated in FIG- URES 2 and 3. A series of units similar to that shown in FIGURE 1 are mounted on a central shaft 16 which extends the length of the machine on which the device is mounted, there being one such unit for each spindle on the machine. Each unit comprises a doffing frame 14- and a donning frame 16 joined at their ends, and at intermediate positions if required by plates 24. The present invention is not concerned with the donning frame 16, but as shown in FIGURE 1 that frame has a spring clip 18 and a cap 29 for engagement with an empty cop 22. The doffing frame 14 has a spring loaded cap 25 for engagement with the tail end of a cop 2d, and a lifter mechanism 28 (which forms the main feature of this invention) for engagement with the head end of "ice the cop 26. The shaft It can be rotated, raised and lowered, so that either the doiiing or donning frames can be lowered on to the spindles of the machine.

Referring now more particularly to FIGURES 2 to 4 of the drawings, a bracket 39 which extends the full length of the machine and forms part of the dofiing frame of each unit is provided at each spindle position with a pair of blocks 32 from which project a wire deflector 34. A pair of rods 36 also project from the blocks 32, and a metal flap 38 is pivoted on each such rod. A light torsion spring as surrounds each rod, one end of the spring being fixed to the block 32, and the other end overlying the flap 38, so that the springs always tend to turn the flaps downwardly (see especially FIG- URE 4). Stops 42 are provided to prevent movement of the flaps beyond the horizontal position illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 4 under the influence of the springs 40. In FIGURE 4, the flap 38 is shown in chain dotted lines to reveal the stop 42. It is important that the gap between the two flaps in the free position shall be less than the diameter of the shoulder 43 at the head end of the cop. The flaps 38 are cut away as indicated at 44 to fit around the reduced diameter of the cop head below the shoulder 43.

When the device is used for dotting, the ring rail of the machine (which is illustrated at St} in FIGURES 2 and 3) is first lowered to an extreme position below the shoulders 43 of the cops. The dofiing frame 14 is then lowered vertically over the full cops 26, and during this downward movement, the springs 40 yield to allow the flaps 38 to pass over and in contact with the yarn on the cop. In other words, during the downward movement of the frame, the flaps 33 are splayed apart to pass over the cop as seen in FIGURE 2. As soon as the inner ends of the flaps move under the shoulder 43, they spring towards each other and engage under the shoulder as shown in FIGURE 3. When the frame is raised, the engagement of the flaps with the underside of the shoulder 43 presses the flaps downwardly against their stops 42, so that they cannot move apart, and consequently the cop is raised off its spindle.

The purpose of the wire deflector 34 is to push the yarn, which extends upwardly from the spinning ring to the drafting rollers, out of the way of theascending cop.

While in the above described preferred example the lifter member comprises two flaps 38 one on each side of the spindle axis, it would be possible to use only one flap for each cop, although, of course, it would not be as easy to move as the two flap arrangement, because of the out-of-balance forces which would be applied to the cop during the dofling movement.

I claim:

1. In combination with a cop filling textile machine having at least one cop mounting spindle, a cop adapted to be axially removable mounted on said spindle to be filled by said machine and a doffing device for said cop and comprising a dotting frame mounted for movement in opposite directions parallel with the axis of said cop on said spindle, a lifting flap member pivotally mounted on said frame about a pivot axis extending transversely of said cop, spring means biasing said member in a predetermined direction, said flap member being so disposed that it is swung outwardly against the bias of said spring means and dragged over the yarn on said cop when said frame is lowered from a raised position, and stop abutment means fixed to said frame for limiting movement of said member under the bias of said spring means, said cop being formed to permit said member to be biased into engagement With said stop abutment means after said member is pulled axially beyond the yarn on said cop with said stop abutment means being operative to position said member to abuttingly engage and lift said cop when said frame is raised from its lowered position.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 wherein said cop has a lower head end formed with a reduced diametered portion axially beyond the yarn thereon permitting said member to swing inwardly under the bias of said spring means.

3. The combination defined in claim 1 wherein said member engages the underside of a shoulder formed on said cop to lift said cop from said spindle.

4. The combination defined in claim 1 wherein said spring means comprises a torsion spring operatively connected between said frame and said member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,593,039 Smith et al. July 20, 1926 3,010,272 Mas Nov. 28, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 626,682 France May 16, 1927 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A COP FILLING TEXTILE MACHINE HAVING AT LEAST ONE COP MOUNTING SPINDLE, A COP ADAPTED TO BE AXIALLY REMOVABLE MOUNTED ON SAID SPINDLE TO BE FILLED BY SAID MACHINE AND A DOFFING DEVICE FOR SAID COP AND COMPRISING A DOFFING FRAME MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS PARALLEL WITH THE AXIS OF SAID COP ON SAID SPINDLE, A LIFTING FLAP MEMBER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME, ABOUT A PIVOT AXIS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID COP, SPRING MEANS BIASING SAID MEMBER IN A PREDETERMINED DIRECTION, SAID FLAP MEMBER BEING SO DISPOSED THAT IT IS SWUNG OUTWARDLY AGAINST THE BIAS OF SAID SPRING MEANS AND DRAGGED OVER THE YARN ON SAID COP WHEN SAID FRAME IS LOWERED FROM A RAISED POSITION, AND STOP ABUTMENT MEANS FIXED TO SAID FRAME FOR LIMITING MOVEMENT OF SAID MEMBER UNDER THE BIAS OF SAID SPRING MEANS, SAID COP BEING FORMED TO PERMIT SAID MEMBER TO BE BIASED INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID STOP ABUTMENT MEANS AFTER SAID MEMBER IS PULLED AXIALLY BEYOND THE YARN ON SAID COP 